The Race Across Rio (COMPLETE)
by Leaf the Peregrine Falcon
Summary: When Leaf, a peregrine falcon, loses his parents, Jewel and Blu take him under their wing. Leaf thinks his life has finally settled down, but he has no idea how wrong he is.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is my first fan fiction so it probably sucks. Review so I know what to improve for chapter 2.

 **Nightmares**

My name is Leaf, and I am a peregrine falcon. I live in Rio with my adoptive parents, Blu and Jewel. I had real parents, once, before humans killed them with their guns. My mom shoved me into a box before they could get me. The box ended up going on a plane to Rio de Janeiro, and I was very fortunate that Jewel found me. So they've kept me under their wing ever since.

"Leaf! Get to bed and stop staring at the poor mice!" my mom called. I sighed wistfully, I hadn't eaten mice since Jewel and Blu decided to keep me. Spix macaws only ate fruit, and fruit wasn't even close to how mice tasted. "Eww…" Carla had said, earlier today when I said mice were my favorite. "It's true," the brainiac, Bia had said, "Leaf's a peregrine falcon, they love mice." "But we're _spix macaws_." Tiago, the other child said, "Why do we live with a _falcon?_ " I hated when other birds asked why I was there, and I still do. "Hey! I didn't _ask_ to be here! For your information, your parents aren't _dead_!"

"Leaf!" Jewel's impatient call jolted me out of my thoughts, "Sleep, now." "Okay," I replied, giving in. I tucked myself into my small nest at the top of the tree hollow we called home. Carla, Bia, and Tiago all slept in one big nest together. Jewel always sang bedtime songs to them until they fell asleep, she never even bat an eye at me, sleeping cold and alone. It was obvious that she didn't care for me as much as her own children, but I couldn't blame her, I wasn't really hers anyway, and I never would be.

Blu cared for me, he would always come and say goodnight to me and give me a little kiss on the head. After all, it was his decision to keep me. He would give me little lessons; I was his little star student. He gave me tips on how to survive in the wild if I ever got separated, and he taught me human things like how to write and escape from cages. "Hey Leaf," Blu called, "Goodnight, sweet dreams." He came closer and gave me a small kiss. "Thanks Dad," I smiled, drifting off to sleep.

 _"Leaf! Run! Fly away!" my mom cried. I flew away as quick as I could. Another gunshot. My dad was gone. "Sky!" my mother screamed, flying down to my dead father. "Mommy!" I wailed, "I'm scared!" My mother flew back to me, "It's okay, my little leaf, I won't let them hurt you." She wrapped me in her wing and soared away._

 _"There!" a hunter's harsh voice rang out, "There they are!" "Let's get'em!" a man hollered. My mother looked around at our surroundings. "I'm sorry Leaf, but this is where I say goodbye." She cried, hugging me close. She shoved me into a box and flew in the opposite direction. A gunshot, and I knew my mother was dead. She had died to save me. The men hollered in victory, "We got the bird!" "Hey! Where's the baby?" a man asked. I sunk lower into the box. "Eh! Who cares, the baby wasn't gonna be much money anyway, let him go. We'll kill him when he grows up." A man called to his companions. The men yelled their agreement. "We're gonna be rich!" a man cried, "Let's load the truck boys." I peeked out of the box, just to see them throw my mother's lifeless body into a box and speed away._

I woke up, sweating. I noticed that my nest was all messed up and I quickly cleaned it up, knowing Jewel would not be pleased. Another thing, she didn't care if _her_ children had messy nests. She would just kiss them and say to not do it again. Last time my nest was messy, she yelled at me and slapped me with her wing. I preened my ruffled feathers and flew down. Jewel was waiting, not looking pleased, with Tiago, Carla, and Bia. They all had their wings folded crossly, but Jewel was the most frightening. "So," she snarled, "We have something to talk about." I glanced at Tiago, and he glared back. I gulped, I knew exactly what she was talking about.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I'm going to try to write two chapters each day, so stay tuned.

 **Trouble in Paradise**

"So," Jewel continued, "Take what you said back. What did you say?" "Um, I said that I didn't ask to be here," I said. "And?" Jewel persisted. "I said that his parents weren't dead…like mine." I added. "I agree," Jewel said thoughtfully, "You DIDN'T ask to be here! So now that you are older, you can leave." "Hey, good morning every-" Blu entered the tense environment, "I'm just gonna go. Hehe." "Fine," I spat back, just as angry, "I'll leave! You weren't that great of a parent anyway. I wish you were shot instead of my parents! They really loved me!" Without waiting for a reply, I swooped out of the hollow, furious.

Muttering to myself, I flew away as fast as I could. Peregrine falcons are supposed to be the fastest animals in the world. "Hey! Leaf, wait up!" Blu called from behind. I rolled my eyes, so much for being the fastest bird. Blu sped up to fly alongside me, "Jewel didn't mean it, she really didn't want you to leave." "If she really wanted me to stay, why didn't she come back for me herself," I said scornfully, "I'm not going back. And tell her that I meant what I said." "No, please," Blu pleaded, "Come back! I've talked to Jewel, and she feels bad about the way she's been treating you." "Yeah right," I scoffed, "She thinks of me as a waste of food, a burden in life that she never asked for. She never even wanted me in the first place!" Blu looked at me with sad eyes, "But I wanted you, and I still do." "Fine," I sighed, "I'll go back."

The second I returned, Jewel tackled me, placing a talon over my throat. "Take back what you said!" she demanded. Sheesh, I thought, I can't talk when you're standing over my throat like that. I managed to choke out one word, "No." I glanced around and spotted a stick lying on the ground. Carefully, I stretched out a talon and snatched up the stick. Then I smacked Jewel as hard as I could. With a squawk of surprise, Jewel released me. "You'll pay for that!," she growled darkly. "Jewel! Jewel! Stop it!" Blu cried, "Leaf's our child! Stop it!" Jewel halted, panting. "Jewel," Blu said in disbelief, "I thought I knew you, you were so loving and kind, what happened to you? Don't you ever think about what Leaf might be feeling? His parents are dead, and they died for him. Don't you think he has the right to miss them?" "My mom is dead," Jewel spat venomously, "Yet I don't say those things!" "Leaf is young!" Blu countered, "And you still have a father. Leaf has no one, no one but us. And you're treating him like this? What would Leaf's mother say if she was still alive?"

Jewel thought for a moment, when she looked at me, her eyes were soft, "I'm sorry, I never thought of it that way. I've been a horrible mother." You can say that again, I thought. Jewel wrapped me in a hug and kissed my head. I blinked in surprise; she had never done that to me before. It took a few moments, but I decided to hug her back.

"Hey, hotwing," a voice called. It was Pedro, a cardinal. "Hey what's up everybody?" Nico, Pedro's best friend called. "Pedro! Nico!" Blu called, "Nice to see you! Where's Rafael?" "Who's hotwing?" I asked, I was sure that "hotwing" wasn't a bird's name. "That's what he calls your mom," Nico whispered. "Hot…wing?" I breathed. "Rafi's got his kids to look after," Pedro said, "He's with Eva." "Look!" Carla called, "Pedro and Nico are here!" "Yay!" Tiago cried, "Can we play Frisbee with your bottle cap?" "Sure, what are we waiting for?" Nico said, "Let's play!" "Let's go!" Bia cried, flying after Nico. Tiago and Carla raced after her. "Hey," Pedro said, "You gonna go play with them kid?" "Um, no thanks, I er…" I was cut off by Jewel, she gave me a little nudge, "Go on now. Have fun." She smiled. Wow, she's a lot different when she's not always yelling at you, I thought, flying outside.

Frisbee was a lot of fun. "Catch it Tiago!" Nico shouted, throwing the bottle cap. There was a rustle of crunching leaves, but no one heard it but me. Something was coming. "Hey," I said nervously, "Did anybody hear that noise?" Suddenly a group of humans came. It shot Tiago with something, not a gun, and he crumpled to the floor. "Tiago!" Carla cried. Another one, looking closer, I noticed it was a dart. Carla joined her brother on the floor. Two more and Nico and Bia were down too. "Hey! That's not an exotic Brazilian bird!" a man said, "It's a Peregrine Falcon! What's it doing here?" "You would have been useful three months ago when we were hunting Peregrine Falcons!" another man laughed, "But now the Boss wants Brazilian birds. Especially the rare spix macaws! Hey, we got three! So shoo! Fly away. There's no need to shoot him boys." Without wasting a second, I swooped away.

"There're humans!" I gasped, bursting into the tree hollow, "And they shot Carla, Bia, Nico, and Tiago with something!" "What?" Jewel demanded, "Are they okay?" "No," I replied, "I think they're all unconscious!" "We have to save them!" Blu cried. "Yeah," Pedro agreed, "Nobody messes with my friends! Or else they'll feel the wrath of this bird!" He puffed out his chest. All three swooped out of the hollow. "Wait!" I called, flying after them, "They have some sort of gun! You need a plan!" But they couldn't hear me. Jewel bore down on a man, "Let go of my children!" "Hey! You guys hurt Nico!" Pedro cried, "Time for my wrath!" "More exotic birds, and two spix macaws!" a man whooped, "This is great. Get them boys!" "Ha!" Pedro squawked, "You think you can beat me. You think you can get this bird—" A dart hit Pedro square in the chest and the cardinal fell to the ground. "Pedro!" Jewel cried, "What did you do to him?" "Ooh!" a man cried, "That's a pretty one, get her!" five darts shot and all of them found their mark. All five hit Jewel in the chest. "No!" Blu cried, "Jewel!" Jewel's eyes rolled up into her head and she crumpled to the ground where she remained limp and unmoving. I cringed back in fear. Blu charged at the men, "How dare you—" Another five darts hit Blu and he streaked to the ground, where he lay beside Jewel, both eyes closed. "Hahaha! We're gonna be rich boys!" a man called, "Let's load the truck!" I chirped in despair, I was alone, again.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Race Begins**

Author's Note: If you would like to be in the story, just say it in the reviews. Thanks guys!

The truck sped off, and I could hear the men inside congratulating themselves. "Did you see us hitting the larger two spix macaws?" a man laughed, "We got'em good! Haha!" Hearing this made me furious. Then, I realized why the men looked and sounded so familiar. They were the men that killed my parents! I charged after them, I wouldn't let them tear a family apart again.

I followed the truck for a long time, until they finally stopped. Sighing in relief, I landed in a nearby tree to watch. A man came out of the truck, cursing, "Out of gas. Sorry boys, we'll be off as soon as I fill the tank. "Hey, Martin, we're all gonna go into the store to buy some chips, what do you want man?" a man asked stepping out of the truck. "Tortilla chips please!" Martin replied, sticking something into the truck. He turned away to look on his phone. _My chance!_ Silently, I flew into the truck, and squeezed through the loose hatch. Everyone was here, tied up in rope, gagged, and still unresponsive. "Hello?" I gave Blu a light tap. Looking closer, I noticed everybody was still breathing. "Yo Martin!" the men were back, "Got your chips. We're heading back into the truck. I'm checking on the birds." Shoot, I thought, Shoot, shoot, shoot. Looking around, I swiftly leaped into a box. A man wearing a bandana looked in. "Hey," he said, "The hatch is loose. Eh, all the birds are still here though." The man walked away. Good to know, I thought to myself, they check the on the birds, now I need to find out how often. "Sorry guys," I whispered, getting out of the box, "Can't untie you."

The truck took off again and I started counting. One minute passed, then two, then three… thirty minutes. Soon, an hour had passed. The truck screeched to a stop and I hid in my box, were they checking on the birds? Sure enough, the hatch slid open and the man with the bandana looked around. "They're still unresponsive," he reported, "And all here." "Good," another man called, "Come back here Angelo! The soccer game's on!" Angelo slammed down the hatch and went back into the truck. So they check every hour, I thought, I'll wait another hour and see what they do. Another hour went by and Angelo came back, but this time, not to check on the birds. "Where's that box?" he said, "Hm…aha!"

He grabbed the box I was in and looked inside. _Oh no!_ "What the?" Angelo screamed, "It's a Peregrine Falcon! He picked me up and threw me outside, then he slammed the hatch and got back into the truck. "Wait!" I called after the truck, "Wait! Wait!" I took off after the truck, this time, I couldn't get into the back through the hatch. But could I open it? Quickly, I gained speed and landed on a little metal part that stuck out. The hatch was locked tightly. "Hmm…" I said as I examined the lock." If I turn this circle part, I thought, the thing won't be blocked off and I can open the hatch! Carefully, I turned the circle part and the lock was unlocked. Now how to open this? I thought, it's heavy. I tried to lift it, too heavy. Maybe… I flew ahead and quickly grabbed the thickest stick I could find. Then I flew back and used the stick as a lever the hatch opened slightly. I lifted it more until I could squeeze through, then I closed the hatch behind me. "Hello, pretty bird," a white cockatoo with mangled wings cooed, "How nice of you to join your friends." "Who are you?" I asked, staring at the bird's ugly face. Shouldn't you know, after all Jewel and Blu raised you!" "Um, no," I replied, "Am I supposed to know you? And how do you know they raised me?" "Oh, I have friends," the bird said with an evil smile, "Anyway, I'll rip Jewel and Blu's heads off later for not telling you about me, but are you sure you don't know who I am?" "Positive," I replied, liking this bird less and less, "And how did you get in here?" "Oh, I'm with the men," the bird said, "Now, let me tell you who I am…" He bowed his head, "Lights, camera, action! _I was striking suave, ambitious, feet to beak, so birdi-licious_ —" "Hey, sorry for interrupting," I said, "Can you just tell me who you are? Not a big fan of singing." "Oh," the bird said, "You're not a Brazilian bird are you." "No, I'm not," I agreed. "Then I don't have a problem with you," the bird said, "I'm going to make all the Brazilian birds ugly! Hahahaha!" "Okay, so can you tell me your name?" I asked impatiently. The bird smiled evilly, "My name is Nigel."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Starting from now, I'm only going to be posting one chapter each day. Thanks for the support!

 **Nigel's Tale**

"So," I persisted, "Nigel, can you help me get everybody out?" "Hmm…" the cockatoo said, "Let me think about it… NO." "Fine," I said, "I'll untie them myself." I started to loosen Blu's ropes when Nigel tackles me from behind. "I said no, pretty bird," Nigel cackled, placing a talon over my throat, "I want to make Blu and Jewel pay, FOR WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO ME!" "What did they do," I coughed. Nigel removed his talons, "Oh I'll tell you," Nigel began softly, "They ruined my life! Your stupid father used a red human thing—" "Probably a fire hydrant," I interrupted. "And it shot me out the plane's window," Nigel continued. "Definitely a fire hydrant," I said. "Stop interrupting, pretty bird!" Nigel spat. "Heh, sorry, bad habit," I said sheepishly. "And the plane propellers _shredded_ me. From then, I sought revenge," Nigel continued, "Then, I followed them to the Amazon Rainforest, and they let that putrid frog, Gabi pull me away. I wish she still thought that she was poisonous. She made a good _meal_ though. Ahahahaha!" "You _ate_ a frog?" I said in disgust. "Oh, that frog was nothing; I've eaten mice, other rodents, and even other birds!" Nigel said proudly. "Really?" I asked, "That's so cool! I've always wanted to eat mice! And, and, and, my kind eats other birds too!" Nigel looked taken aback, as if he never met a bird like me. "I'm a Peregrine Falcon," I said.

Human voices came from outside. "Hurry!" Nigel said, "Hide!" Quickly, I dived behind some boxes. The hatch slid open, and Angelo came in. "We're here Sofia!" Sofia? "Who's Sofia?" I asked Nigel quietly. "They're idiots, they think I'm a girl," Nigel said. "Hey girlie," Angelo said to Nigel, "We did it! We're gonna be rich Sofia! My dreams have finally come true, and now I'll have the money to be able to get revenge on Maria and Paul! Maria will be sad that she chose that ugly man Paul!" Nigel cooed, "And now I'll have my revenge complete!" "Guard the birds Sofia!" Angelo said, "I'll be back to load them." "Nigel!" I hissed, "What are you going to do?" "Oh, I'm going to make the pretty birds PAY! I'll ruin their lives like they ruined mine," Nigel said smiling evilly. "Nigel, don't do this," I said, "If you do this, you'll be no better than them!" Nigel thought for a moment, then he bowled me over, "No, nothing's going to stop me, and it seems that you are on their side. And I don't like other birds that oppose me, so stay out of my way, pretty bird." "You got it," I lied. "Sofia!" Angelo called from outside, "Come on girlie!" Nigel released me and flew away.

"Huh?" Jewel's voice said drowsily, "What am I doing here?" "Jewel!" I said in relief, "Keep your voice down, Nigel's here." "Nigel?" Jewel was immediately alert, "He's gone in with the humans, they want to use you to make money." I told Jewel. "Oh," Jewel said rolling her eyes, "Not again!" "What do you mean, 'not again'?" I asked curiously. "Oh, well, last time I was chained with Blu and we escaped…" Jewel began.

"Wow!" I said once she had finished, "That's so cool! Blu jumped out of the plane for you?" Nigel interrupted Jewel's reply. "Hello pretty bird," he cooed, "Do you remember me?" "Yes, and I'll never forget!" Jewel spat venomously, "What are you doing here Nigel?" "Oh," Nigel said evilly, "I'm getting revenge on you!" Nigel tackled Jewel, pinning her to the truck wall, grasping her throat, "FOR RUINING MY LIFE!" Nigel roared, "I would just kill you now. But why end your life here, when you can be tortured for longer." "Let go of her!" I screeched, lunging at Nigel with my talons, but Nigel knocked my back with one wing. Jewel was struggling for air now, "Nigel," she gasped, "Please!" To my surprise, Nigel released her, "To be continued," Nigel said with an obnoxious laugh. Then, he flew out of the truck. "Are you okay?" I asked Jewel. "No," she said, "I am definitely NOT okay! Leaf, help me get out!" Quickly, I cut the ropes with one slash of my talons, and helped Jewel down. She immediately collapsed, gasping, "Free the others," she ordered. In no time, everybody was down. Blu twitched once, and opened his eyes, "What? Jewel? Wait! Humans! Run! Save other— oh, where am I?" Suddenly a huge weight pinned me down, "I told you to STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" Nigel bellowed, "Does this look like you are staying out of my way?!" "No," I replied defiantly, using my sharp beak to peck him in the eye. "My eye!" Nigel groaned, "I can't see!" "Sofia!" Angelo called, "Come here— oh what the?! Amigos, they're all freed! Come here and help me!" All the men streamed to the back, and I quickly flew out of the truck, "Come on!" I cried. "No!" Jewel shouted, "I am not leaving my children here!" "They'll shoot you again!" I shouted back, "We need a plan, come on Jewel!" "No, I'm staying here—" Jewel began, but a dart hit her wing and she slumped down again. "Wait!" Blu cried, backing up against the wall, "I'm sure we can negotiate—" Another dart, and Blu was down. "Oh come on!" I said in exasperation. Quickly, taking the moment of surprise, I raked my talons on a man's back and pecked another in the head before they could react. "You!" Angelo bellowed, "I threw you out of the truck!" He shot a dart, and barely missed. But then, I wasn't so lucky. A sharp point jabbed me from behind, and I fell to the ground. No! Stay awake, stay awake… But it was too late, darkness closed in from all sides, and the last thing I saw was being thrown in the truck.


	5. Chapter 5

**I Can't Think of a Chapter Title**

"Hello pretty bird," Nigel's voice woke me up from the darkness, "I told you to stay out of my way," he

cooed. I woke up to see that I was in the back of the dark truck. Everybody was tied up again. "Well, my

bad," I retorted groggily, "I'm not very good at listening. And why am I not tied up?" "Oh," Nigel said,

"The Boss isn't looking for birds like you, he's looking for Brazilian birds, and I am happy to help him."

"What is he going to do with them?" I asked. "Oh, the usual wonderful stuff. Every day he kills one, and

if they have parents or siblings, he makes them watch, ahahahaha! It's wonderful to watch you know!"

Nigel cackled. "Oh, there was once one Peregrine Falcon couple—" "Peregrine Falcon couple?" I

interrupted, "Did one of them look like me?" "Yes, one had your eyes, and the other one had your

feather pattern," Nigel said thoughtfully.

"That's my parents!" I said in excitement, "They're still alive?" "No," Nigel said, "They died a long time

ago, ahahahahaha! After the Boss killed the female, oh you should have seen the other one! Hilarious, I

tell you! He escaped from his cage and clawed the Boss's eyes out, so they shot him!" "They're both

dead?" I asked in dismay. "Oh yes, oh yes, that one was very entertaining!" Nigel cackled.

"Entertaining?" I shouted furiously, tackling Nigel and pinning him down, "Watching that criminal

murder my parents was _entertaining_?" "You think you can beat me, pretty bird?" Nigel said, with an

obnoxious laugh, "I'd like to see you try." I dug my talons deeper into his throat, "Try me," I spat.

"We both know that you can't kill me," Nigel laughed, "You don't have the guts!" I knew he was right, I

felt my grip on him weaken. _If I kill him, I'll be no better than the humans that killed my parents._ Nigel

laughed again, "But I do." He shoved me off with a forceful shove that sent me sprawling. I crashed into

some boxes, and my head spun. No! I ordered myself, do not get knocked put again! "Sofia!" Angelo

called from outside, "The Boss is gonna see us now. Come on girlie!" "To be continued," Nigel said with

a cackle. _I've got to get everybody out of here!_ "Hey!" I shouted, "WAKE UP! You have to wake up!

They're gonna—" The hatch slid open and I swiftly darted behind a box. "Where's the falcon?" a man

demanded. "He's gotta be hiding somewhere. The Boss wants one as a pet," I recognized the voice of

Martin. "Get the other birds out," Angelo commanded, "I'll find the falcon." "You got it man," Martin

said, grabbing Bia. Her wings flopped around limply, and I felt a new surge of rage. Angelo entered the

small damp room. "Tut, tut," he said, "I know you're there falcon. Come out little birdie. Here birdie

birdie!" I waited until I was sure all the men had left, and then I darted out viciously. I attacked Angelo

head on, raking my talons down his face. "Ow! Ow! Help!" Angelo shouted, "Helmph!" I blocked off

Angelo's scream with my wing, muffling the sound. I snatched up a gag from the floor used on the birds,

and stuffed it into his mouth. Then, I raked his eyes, temporarily blinding him. Taking the opportunity, I

tripped Angelo and he came crashing to the floor. Working quickly, I tied Angelo up with rope and flew

out of the truck. _Where did they go? There!_ I flew into a tree to watch. Martin passed Tiago to another

man and he threw him into a cage. Their brutality startled me, had my parents gone through this? "The

Boss is gonna pay us good this time Rick!" a man cried, "Real good." Rick grinned, showing yellow teeth,

"You got it bro. Now let's work quickly, the quicker we work, the sooner we get the money!" "Yo! Rick,

Tomo, you finished putting the birds in the cages yet?" another man called, "We don't want to make the

Boss wait!" "Almost, a few more Dev!" the man named Tomo replied, throwing Carla into a cage, "Hey

have you seen Angelo? He should be back by now." I stiffened, would one of them go check? "I bet he's

fine, the falcon's probably giving him a hard time." the man said. "Dev, we're done loading the birds,

let's go see the boss!" Rick called. "Great!" Dev grinned, "Money time." _I've got to follow them!_ The men

grabbed the cages and entered the dark alley. With no other choice, I flew after them.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Boss**

Tomo pushed open a wooden door with faded white paint, "Let's go." The men, all carrying cages

entered the building. A sign hang from the door: KEEP OUT. "I'm not good at following instructions," I

told the sign, and I flew after the men. I flew down a long hallway. _Are those bones on the ground?_ I

trembled. _Don't think about it! Hahahaha, good spiders…_ The men halted at a door, painted a vibrant

red color.

"Boss," Dev said respectfully, "We have the birds." "Good, very good," a silky voice came from inside,

"Come on in boys." Tomo grinned at Rick, "It's time!" Rick slapped Tomo's face, "Shut up!" he hissed. All

the men entered the room, and I flew to the door to hear what they had to say. I peeked in cautiously

to see a fancy office lined with cages of birds on all sides.

A man with oily black hair and a goatee sat at a polished wooden desk, on a red cushioned chair. He was

wearing sunglasses. I smirked in satisfaction at the thought of his ruined eyes. _That must have been my_

 _father's work._ "Place the birds on my desk, I must feel them." the Boss ordered. "Yes sir," Martin said,

placing his cage on the desk. Inside were Nico and Pedro, still knocked out. "Are they all under the dart's

effect?" the Boss demanded. "Yes, sir," Martin said, "Two came to, but we knocked them out again."

"Well done boys," the Boss said, "Where's my falcon?" "Oh," Martin looked around at his companions

nervously, "Angelo's getting him." The Boss stroked his careful goatee, "Sofia!" he called, holding out his

arm. Nigel fluttered down from a post and landed on the Boss' arm. He stroked Nigel's feathers, "I heard

you helped my crew find these birds, you're a good bird Sofia. I'll feed you your favorite later, scarlet

macaw wings!" Nigel cooed, "Yes I'd like that." I wrinkled my nose. _Gross! I'd never eat a macaw!_

"Now, take one out." the Boss ordered. "Yes sir!" Martin said, pulling out Nico. The Boss grabbed Nico

and began to feel his body. Running his finger down his wing and tugging on his feet. "A canary," the

Boss decided, "Not a bird that would make much money." The men gulped. "Pass me another one," the

Boss commanded. Being clever, Martin chose Jewel instead of Pedro. "Ah!" the Boss said in delight,

"This one is a beauty! A rare spix macaw!" He caressed Jewel's face and beak. Testing her wings and

running his finger down her talons. "This one is full of money!" the Boss exclaimed, "But I'm thinking

about keeping her, as a decoration," he added nastily. "Sir," Martin said smugly, "We have managed to

capture _five_ rare spix macaws!" "Yes, well done men!" the Boss praised. Martin glowed at the

compliment. "Another one boys!" the Boss shouted. Quickly, Martin passed the Boss another spix

macaw, Tiago. "Hmph!" the Boss said, "A spix macaw, but so scrawny. Not like this angel!" the Boss

gestured towards Jewel. "Throw the canary and this one into a cage!" the Boss ordered, pointing at

Tiago. Soon, the Boss had examined all of the captured birds. "You're lucky you're pretty," the Boss said

to the unconscious Jewel, "I'm not going to sell you like your friends, but if you're a nuisance, I'll kill

you." "Good work men, I'll pay you in the morning, get to bed," the Boss ordered, "Leave me be now."

"Yes sir!" all the men said respectfully.

I quickly darted into a box as the men left the room. "Ah," the Boss' voice came from the room, "Such

stupid henchmen, but they're useful to me." I heard a creak as the Boss stood up from the chair, "I'm

going to check on Angelo, then you'll have a friend to talk to, once my falcon is here angel!" With an

obnoxious laugh, comparable to Nigel's the Boss left the room too.

Swiftly, I darted into the room. "Jewel?" I said quietly, tapping her rusted cage. No response. Sighing, I

flew up to where the rest of my friends were being held. I tapped the cage containing Tiago, Carla, and

Nico. "Guys!" I hissed, "WAKE UP!" Nico's eyes open groggily, "Just five more minutes mom," he

groaned. "Nico, it's me, Leaf. You've got to WAKE UP!" I said, shaking his cage. Nico's eyes popped open,

"What the heck? Leaf? Where are we? And why am I in a cage?" "No time to explain," I said in a hurry,

"Wake up Tiago and Carla." Quickly, I unlocked the cage and swung the door open. Nico shook Carla

roughly, "WAKE UP YOU SLEEPY CHILDREN, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN A STRANGE PLACE. IN A CAGE, WITH

A BUNCH OF OTHER LOCKED UP BIRDS AROUND US!" he shouted. "Nico!" I hissed, "Keep your voice

down!" "I'm sorry," Nico said, rolling his eyes, "Just being truthful." Carla opened her eyes and yawned,

then she immediately sat upright, "Holy poop birds!" she said, "Where are we?" "You both got it be

sleep darts and the humans are going to kill you or sell you," I explained. Nico and Carla exchanged a

look. "WHAT?" they said simultaneously. "Just, wake up Tiago," I ordered, "I have to wake up Pedro, Blu,

Bia and Jewel." Carla and Nico didn't question me, "WAKE UP TIAGO!" they both bellowed. I went over

to the next cage and swung open the door. "WAKE UP!" I shouted, shaking Bia's wing. "Yo," Pedro said,

"Can you keep it down, the bird's sleeping— WHAT THE HECK! WHERE ARE WE?!" "Please don't

question me, just wake up Bia and Blu." "Yo, can you just tell me WHY THE HECK ARE WE HERE?" Pedro

demanded. "Okay, so you all were hit with sleep darts and they brought you here. They're either gonna

kill you, or sell you. So don't ask questions and just do as I say!" I explained in frustration. _I'm getting_

 _tired of repeating the story._ Luckily, Pedro didn't ask any more questions. "Yo! Blu, Bia, WAKE UP! WAKE

UP!" he shouted. Now, for Jewel. I swung open her cage and taped her with one talon. "WAKE UP

JEWEL!" I shouted. "Not now Blu, I need sleep, can you get me a mango?" Jewel groaned. "I'm not Blu,

wake up Jewel!" I said in frustration. Jewel opened her eyes and tackled me, then she relaxed, "Oh, Leaf,

sorry I thought you were— where are we?" "The Boss' office. He's gonna kill you or sell you, but you're

safe, he wants you as a decoration. Jewel's eyes blazed, "I belong to no one!" she shouted, "I'm going to

scratch this "Boss" until his eyes come out." "Hahaha, issue, his eyes already came out," I said, telling

Jewel about my father. "Oh Leaf," Jewel said softly, "I'm so sorry about your parents." "Nah," I said,

trying to hide my emotions, "It's okay." Just then, the door swung open again. _Oh no!_ The Boss was

back. 


	7. Chapter 7

**The Reunion**

The Boss entered the room and glanced around suspiciously. Angelo was behind him. "So you say the

falcon _attacked_ you, and FLEW AWAY?" the Boss shouted. "Ye-es, sir," Angelo trembled, "Please, he

took me-e by surp-prise!" "YOU IDIOT!" the Boss bellowed, "HOW WERE YOU BEATEN BY A BIRD?! A

BIRD! Angelo, I am very, very ANGRY with your performance. Get to your sleeping quarters, don't think

I'll always give you this kind of mercy." "Yes, sir," Angelo said in shame, "You are very kind, sir. I will not

disappoint you again."With his shoulders slightly hunched, Angelo left the room. Crouching, hidden

under the Boss' desk, I tried to keep from trembling. "Oh," the Boss said as he walked past Jewel's cage,

"You're up my angel." "I'm nobody's angel!" Jewel squawked furiously. "Temper, temper," the Boss said

calmly, "I'd keep quiet if I were you. It would be a pity if you ended up like the other birds." Peeking out

cautiously and glancing around the room, I saw that most of the birds had gone mad. A scarlet macaw

was banging her head on the bars, "Hahahaha! You're funny cage!" she said crazily. A tiny yellow canary

was screaming insanely, "Let me out! LET ME OUT!" A golden macaw was laughing creepily, his eyes

bulging out.

"Mommy? Mommy! It's really you!" Jewel cried. _Mommy?_ "Jewel?" My attention turned to where the

voice came from. A blue

spix macaw was locked in a cage, "Jewel, is that really you?" Watching her with my sharp eyes, I noticed

how much Jewel resembled her. They had the same slender, light blue body, and white facial markings.

The only difference was that Jewel's eyes were teal, while the other macaw's eyes were hazel, like Blu's

eyes. "How'd you get here?" Jewel demanded, "Did they take you away?" "Oh my jewel of the forest,

I've missed you so much!" the female spix macaw cried, "There's so much I want to tell you!"

I quickly shrank back under the desk when the Boss's shiny shoes came by. "Hello, angel," the Boss

laughed, picking up Jewel's cage. "Let me out!" Jewel demanded. "I'd like you to meet Sofia; she'll be

your company." Many of the caged birds shrank back, "Oh no!" a scarlet macaw squeaked, "It's Nigel!"

The malicious cockatoo flew into the room. "Hello, pretty bird," Nigel cackled. "Hey!" Jewel's mother

shouted, "If you touch a _feather_ on my Jewel, then I'll shred you until there's nothing left!" "Ah," Nigel

cooed evilly, "Who's this?" "None of your business, you evil bird!" Jewel's mother shrieked. Nigel lunged

across the room and slammed into Jewel's mother's cage. He stretched one talon through the bars and

laughed, "That's not how you treat a star!" Jewel's mother backed up against the other side of the cage,

"You're not a star! You're a hideous creature!" she spat. Nigel's face hardened, "Let me show you how

hideous I can be then! Pretty bird!" "No!" Jewel cried, "Please, mom, stop it!" "Fine!" Jewel's mom said,

"But only for you, Jewel."

"Sofia!" the Boss called, "Stop, don't hurt them, they're worth money, especially that you're messing

with. Humph, she is annoying though. The only reason she hasn't been sold is that she _shredded_ the last

person that tried to buy her." Nigel cooed in disappointment, but did not disobey thee Boss. "To be

continued," Nigel laughed, flying onto his perch."Jewel?" Blu called from his cage, "Who's that?" "My

mother," Jewel said, "I had no idea that she had been _here_ all along!" "Who's that Jewel?" Jewel's

mother asked tensely. "Um, hi," Blu said awkwardly, "I am Jewel's significant other, Blu." "Hello Blu. My

name is Hazel. Jewel?" Hazel asked excitedly, "You have a mate! Do you have kids?" "Uh, yes," Blu said,

"We have three kids, Tiago, Carla, and Bia." "Are they all trapped here," Hazel asked in dismay, "In this

filthy place?" "Shut up birds!" the Boss shouted, "Good bye my little money makers, I'll see you in the

morning, Sofia, keep an eye on them for me." The Boss laughed evilly and tossed him what appeared to

be a chicken wing, "Scarlet macaw wing!" he said. Then, he exited the room. Nigel caught the food in his

talons and laughed, "I wonder which scarlet macaw here will be my next meal?" All the scarlet macaws

immediately shrunk back. "Owahahaha!" Nigel shrieked, "Sweet nightmares!" With that, he swooped

away, carrying his macaw wing and slammed the door behind him.

"Oh, I hate that bird," Hazel growled, "His real name is Nigel, not Sofia." "We're aware of him. He's been

an adversary for us before," Jewel said. "What?" Hazel demanded, "Did he hurt you?" "Oh yeah," Jewel

said, telling her mother the story of how Nigel unintentionally caused the marriage between Blu and

Jewel. "What?" Hazel, "He jumped out of a plane for you!" Blu looked embarrassed, "It was nothing, I er,

never doubted doing that." "That was _not_ nothing! You saved my Jewel's life!" Hazel cried, "Oh thank

you Blu, thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" "Um," Blu said awkwardly, "Yeah, no

problem." "Mom," Jewel began, "How did, how did you…" She broke off sobbing quietly. "Oh," Hazel

said, "It's okay, it's okay." "Tell me," Jewel said, "Tell me what happened that day." Hazel's eyes teared

up a little, "Jewel, no I—" "No mom," Jewel said a little more forcefully, "Please?" Hazel sighed, "All

right."


	8. Chapter 8

**The Truth**

Author's Note: Sorry for not posting in a couple of days, been busy. But I'm back.

Hazel's voice cracked as she began her story about that fateful day.

Many Years Ago:

"Jewel!" Hazel shouted through a thick haze of smoke, "Jewel! Jewel, where are you?" The loggers had

unintentionally caused a fire, and the spix macaw tribe was forced away from the place they called

home. "Hazel!" Azul, another spix macaw shouted, "We have to leave!" "Not without my Jewel!" I

shouted back. "Eddie's got her!" Azul lied, "I saw them flying away from the fire." "Then let's follow

them!" Hazel said, flying away. "No!" Azul shouted, grabbing her with his strong wings, "It's not safe,

what would happen to Jewel if she never saw you again?" Hazel considered the macaw's words, "Fine,

but once the fire has cleared we're going to look for them!" "If the fire ever clears," Azul muttered.

"What did you say?" Hazel demanded. "Uh, nothing, uh, hahaha, sorry Hazel," Azul said, "Let's just go

now."

The two blue spix macaws flew away, the opposite way, Jewel and her father were trying to flee. Jewel's

wing had been trapped under a fallen tree, and it was hopelessly stuck. "Help!" Eduardo shouted at the

spix macaws fleeing the fire. The panicked birds paid no attention to the two spix macaws on the ashen

ground. Jewel tugged on her wing desperately, "Daddy," she whimpered, "I'm scared, where's

Mommy?" "Mommy's fine," Eduardo said soothingly, unsure if he was just assuring himself. The fire

around them roared, coming ever closer. Eduardo kept one eye on the consuming flames and one eye

on his beautiful daughter, tugging with all his strength. The flames crackled around the two birds, the

tree that trapped Jewel's wing was set on fire. Jewel screamed in terror and pulled her wing harder.

With one hard tug, Jewel came tumbling free. Eduardo took into the air, "Hurry!" he shouted. "I can't

fly!" Jewel screamed, flapping her injured wing desperately. "Oh no!" Eduardo breathed, landing beside

his terrified daughter. Hoisting her onto his back, he flew, pumping his strong wings. "Almost there!" he

promised his daughter, the river was already in sight. But Jewel's grip was slipping. "Daddy!" she

screamed, as her grip on her father's back slipped. She fell, flapping her uninjured wing desperately,

trying to take flight. Screaming, she fell until her form disappeared among the smoke. "No!" Eduardo

bellowed, flapping down as low as possible. "Jewel!" he coughed. No response. A wave of heat forced

him back, and he knew there was no way to get to Jewel now. Sobbing, he flew away to the river, where

he met up with the other spix macaws.

"What were you doing?" he screamed, punching a nearby spix macaw in the face, "What were you doing

when my daughter was in trouble?!" The spix macaw that had been punched groaned in pain, clutching

a now black eye, "What was that for man?" "My daughter is probably dead because of you idiots!"

Eduardo roared, "And my Hazel is probably gone too!" "Hazel?" a burly spix macaw said pushing

through the crowd, "Hazel's gone?" It was Hazel's father, Tony. Eduardo tried not to scowl at the sight of

the older macaw. After all, he had refused to let his daughter marry him and didn't go down without a

fight. At the end, Hazel told her father her true feelings and that if he couldn't ever accept their love

then he was no father to her, and her father had reluctantly agreed to the marriage.

"Hazel? No one has my Hazel?" Tony asked, "Where's Hazel?" he looked at Eduardo accusingly, "You

don't have her?" "No," Eduardo said evenly, "I took Jewel." "And where's Jewel then?" Tony demanded,

growing increasingly desperate. "She's gone too," Eduardo replied, trying not to break up, "Because of

these idiots!" He smacked a nearby spix macaw that he recognized from the moment he called for help

in the face and she crumpled to the ground. "They flew right past us, without lifting a feather to help!"

"Hey!" another spix macaw cried, racing to the female's side, "What was that for?" he demanded. "She

didn't help me!" Eduardo shouted, "She didn't help Jewel!"

Meanwhile, Hazel and Azul flew as far away from the fire as possible. Azul fluttered near a hollow tree,

"We can sleep the night here," he suggested. "Fine with me," Hazel yawned. The two spix macaws got as

comfortable as possible in the damp hollow. Spiders crawled all around them. Hazel looked wistfully out

the hole in the tree, "I hope Jewel and Eduardo are safe," she prayed. "Don't worry Haze," Azul said,

"They're both probably fine, as long as Eduardo's got Jewel, they're both fine. Eduardo's a strong bird.

You made the right choice choosing him little sis." "Thanks Azul," Hazel said gratefully, leaning against

her older brother, oblivious to the seemed tragedy that had just unfolded.

The next morning, Hazel and Azul woke up to leaves crunching. Men were nearby. "Azul!" Hazel hissed,

"They're humans nearby!" "Huh? What?" Azul said groggily, opening his eyes. "I'm going to take a look,"

Hazel said. "Be careful!" Azul said, immediately alert. Hazel peeked her head out, the coast was clear.

She quietly flew out and landed on the ground. "I guess they're gone we—" Hazel didn't get to finish

when a net surrounded her, "Azul!" she shrieked, "Help me!" "Hazel?" Azul flew out. "Watch out!" Hazel

screamed, as a man swatted Azul out of the air. As soon as the spix macaw hit the ground, a man

grabbed him by the talons. "Hey!" Hazel shouted, biting the net, "Let me out!" "Hey!" the man shouted,

"Pass me a gun please, this one's feisty!" Another man tossed him a gun. "Now hold still and this won't

hurt," the man coaxed. "No!" Hazel thrashed in fear. Something sharp struck her chest, and she began

to lose consciousness. Cold blackness closed in from all sides as she fought against the dart's effect. It

was like a black hole dragging her deeper…deeper…deeper…

Hazel's eyes shot open, and she was in a different location. The light was blinding, and Hazel shielded

her eyes with her wings. "Azul?" she whispered hoarsely. Men's voices came from farther away. Hazel's

mind swam in confusion. Where was she? Then the light faded, and Hazel realized a man was holding a

weird contraption that shot out light. She was in a cage, surrounded by other caged birds. "Azul?" she

repeated louder. A man with a goatee and oily black hair was yelling at a man, "Tomo, you idiot!" he

shouted, shaking a blue thing. Hazel squinted hard and her heart nearly stopped, "Azul!" she screamed.

"I'm sorry Boss," Tomo said, "I forgot birds were this fragile." "Martin tells me you swatted it out of the

air!" the other man said, "Now Tomo, DOES A DEAD BIRD HAVE ANY USE TO US?" "Dead…bird?" Hazel

choked, "No, not Azul…" "No, I'm sorry sir," Tomo said. "Leave, get out of my sight Tomo," the man said,

"I expect better from you next time." "Yes sir!" Tomo saluted and left the room. "Useless bird," the man

growled, throwing Azul's body into the trash can. "NO!" Hazel screamed, "AZUL! WHY? WHY DID YOU

DO THIS TO HIM?" "Was he your mate?" a gentle voice asked from the cage beside Hazel's. She turned

to see a young Peregrine Falcon couple. The female had speckled brown feathers and beautiful green

eyes. The male's feathers were black and his eyes were a deep blue. "No," Hazel whispered, "He was my

brother." "I'm so sorry," the male falcon said, "I know what it feels like— to lose someone you love."

"Oh, Night," the female said, "I miss him too, but he's a strong little falcon, like you. He'll survive." "But

Fern," Night said, "What about Tulip?" "I don't know," Fern admitted, "All we can do is hope for the

best." Fern turned back to Hazel, "What's your name?" "Hazel," Hazel said, "Pleasure to meet you." She

extended her wing in between the bars, and Night shook it. "I'm Fern," Fern said. "And I'm Night. It's a

pleasure to meet you too Hazel," Night said politely.

"So that's how I got here," Hazel finished. I leaned forward in excitement, "Hazel–" "Who's this?" Hazel

demanded. "I'm Leaf," I said, realizing that I hadn't been introduced to Hazel yet. She was clearly tense, I

couldn't blame her, and she'd gone through a lot. "He's our adopted son," Jewel finished. "I think those

Peregrine falcons you were talking about were my parents!" I continued. I stepped out from beneath the

desk, and Hazel's eyes lit up. "Yes!" Hazel said, "You're the spitting image of your father, and you've got

your mom's eyes." Then Hazel's wings drooped, "I'm sorry Leaf, they're—" "No," I interrupted, "I

already know." "They were so kind to me," Hazel whispered, "They were my only friends in this

wretched place." "That was sweet," an evil voice cooed from behind. I immediately recognized Nigel's

voice. Without wasting a second, I spun around and lunged at the cockatoo. But he was expecting it, he

swatted me away with one wing and advanced on Jewel, he clicked his talons and cackled, "I've been

waiting for this."


	9. Chapter 9

**Darkness Closes**

Nigel tackled Jewel to the ground and put his face close to hers, "Hello, pretty bird." "No!" Hazel

shrieked from her cage, "Stop it! Don't hurt her!" She banged against her cage, trying to get free.

"Jewel!" Blu cried, flying to her. Nigel smacked him back with his unoccupied talon. Blu staggered back

in a daze. There a red welt where Nigel had kicked him in the head. "Blu!" Jewel screamed, "Get off me

now!" "Mommy!" Tiago shouted, charging over. Carla and Bia followed. "No!" Jewel cried, "Kids, no, I

can't let you get hurt!" "Yo!" Pedro shouted, "It's that _ugly_ cockatoo!" "Yeah, remember him, we kicked

his butt!" Nico laughed. "Yeah we kicked butt!" Pedro chuckled. "What butt?" a female voice inquired.

"Nigel's butt—" Pedro giggled, "Wait, who the heck are you?" A female cockatoo was locked in a cage,

right above Hazel's, "I'm Nigeria," the cockatoo said sweetly, "Please let me out." Nigel glanced up,

"Who are yo—ohhh…" Nigel's gaze grew unfocused, and Nigeria's eyes widened in surprise. She smiled

dreamily. "Who are you?" Nigel wondered aloud. "Nigeria," the blushing cockatoo replied. "Nigeria,"

Nigel repeated, "That's such a beautiful name. But not as beautiful as you." He stepped off Jewel. _Oh_

 _gross!_ Nigel flew up to her cage, "An angel as beautiful as you does not deserve to be locked in a cage."

"Oh Nigel!" Nigeria giggled. Nigel picked the lock with his talons and released the cockatoo. "Thank you

handsome!" Nigeria cooed. "Anything for you," Nigel replied.

Meanwhile, Jewel was tending to Blu. She tapped his welt lightly. "Ouch!" Blu shouted. "Sorry Blu,"

Jewel said, "But we need to get rid of that welt, it's ruining your handsome look!" "Let's get outta here!"

Nico said, "I need to be back before Carnaval!" "Let's go home!" Tiago agreed. Jewel nodded, forgetting

about Nigel, "I'll just free my mom and—" "Woah, woah , woah!" Nigeria interrupted, "Where do you

think you're going, _jewel of the forest?_ " she said mockingly. "Haha, very funny," Jewel retorted.

"Nigeria," Nigel bowed and waved his wing, "You may have the honors." "With pleasure," Nigeria

returned, then she advanced on Jewel. I groaned inwardly and rubbed my head, "Hey ugly birds!" I

shouted, trying to distract her. Nigeria spun around, "What did you call me?" she demanded. "Ugly

bird!" I repeated. "Leaf!" Jewel cried, "What are you doing?" "Get your mom and everybody out!" I

shouted, lashing out at Nigeria's face. The cockatoo ducked to the side to avoid my sharp talons. "Not

without you!" Jewel screamed. I wrinkled my face in concentration, "Don't make me do this in vain!"

Jewel's eyes grew sad, "You're a hero Leaf, and I'll never forget you." A tear formed in Jewel's eyes. "Just

go!" I said, trying to control my emotions. Nigeria tackled me down. _No! I have to let them escape!_ Rage

burned in my heart and I flung Nigeria off of me. She crashed into Nigel, bowling them both over. "Go,

go, go!" I screamed. Jewel, Blu, Hazel, Pedro, Nico, and all the kids flew away as fast as they could. "No!"

Nigel shouted flying after them. I rammed into him and we tumbled out of the air. "You idiot!" Nigel

snarled, "It didn't have to be this way!" Both cockatoos attacked me viciously, and I barely avoided all

their attacks. I caught Nigel across the wing with one talon, but then Nigeria slammed into me from

behind. _I won't go down easily!_ I could almost feel my family fighting beside me. My father, with all his

fighting skill. My mother, swift and determined. And my little sister Tulip, courageous and cunning. I

flung Nigeria off roughly and she crashed to the ground. "My angel!" Nigel shouted, me gave me a

murderous look, "You'll pay for that!" He rushed at me, and I darted left. But Nigel was ready and he

nipped my right wing hard. I clenched my beak in pain, and raked my talons down Nigel's back. Now

Nigeria was up and running again. She darted at my left while Nigel attacked my right. In a split second, I

flew up and they crashed into each other. "Suckers!" I laughed. Meanwhile, all the caged birds were

chanting, "BIRD FIGHT! BIRD FIGHT!" A scarlet macaw grinned, "This is the first time something

interesting has actually happened!" Nigeria flew up and she was followed by Nigel. "INTO THE AIR!" a

parakeet screamed excitedly. They both attacked and I could only go higher and higher, until my head

brushed against the ceiling. I was trapped. I closed my eyes. I had given Jewel and the others a good

head start. _This is the end. Mom, Dad, Tulip, I'm coming for you._ Pain exploded from my chest and I felt

myself falling. The giddy birds screamed, "AND THE FALCON'S DOWN!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Is this Heaven?**

My head spun and my mouth was dry. There was a slight throbbing pain in my chest, and I had no idea

where I was. "Hey, hey!" a female voice called, "Are you okay?" I opened my eyes and light exploded

from everywhere. _What the?_ The piercing light faded, so I could make out the figure of a bird standing

over me, a peregrine falcon. "Am…am…I in heaven?" I croaked. The falcon laughed, "Well last I checked I

wasn't dead, so no." I sat up with great difficulty, "Where am I then?" Sitting up, I realized how beautiful

the falcon was, she had a slender body with sleek black feathers and sky blue eyes. The falcon grew

serious , "No clue, I was wondering the same thing." "How did I get here then?" I asked, regaining some

of my strength. "I don't know," the falcon said, "The humans just tossed you in here." "Can you tell me

who you are then," I said. "Tulisa," she said, "And you are?" "Leaf," I said, "Do you know how _you_ got

here?" "Um, yeah," Tulisa said, thinking, "I was with my family when these humans came out of

nowhere and shot us with these weird things, and the next thing that I know I'm in this truck. I might

never see my family again." A pearly tear dripped out of her eye. Not knowing what to do, I put a wing

around her. Tulisa didn't fight me; instead, she leaned against me. _Wow! Stay cool Leaf, stay cool. Don't_

 _be an idiot!_ "So, um, I…er…" I started, but I had nothing to say. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ "Oh, okay, um,"

Tulisa said awkwardly, freeing herself from my wings. _Shoot! Stop screwing up Leaf!_ "So…" Tulisa said

breaking the silence, "How did _you_ get here?" Sighing, I told her everything that had happened. When I

was done, I was surprised to see Tulisa's eyes tearing up, "That's so sad!" she cried. She gave me a hug

that took the air out of me. It was a while before she finally released me. "We have to get out of here!"

she said, ramming into the truck hatch, "Help me Leaf!" Something black snatched her out of the air,

and slammed her against the wall. "Hey!" I shouted. Tulisa groaned and she slid down, knocked out cold.

A black hawk was standing on some boxes, "Going somewhere?" he asked silkily. I cocked my head to

the side, "Don't you want to escape too?" "Escape?" the black hawk laughed, "I don't _need_ to escape." I

glared at him, "Don't you _dare_ hurt her again!" "Aw… that's so sweet!" the black hawk cackled, "Love's a

powerful thing, but a stupid thing too." "Who are you?" I narrowed my eyes. "Salem," the hawk said.

"Don't try to get out again," Salem cackled, flying up to the front of the truck. A tanned man with sleek

black hair stretched out his arm. Salem landed on the man's arm, and the man stroked his feathers,

"What up Salem?" he said, beeping his horn. "Tulisa?" I whispered, "Are you okay?" Tulisa made no

response. I shook her gently, "Hello?" Tulisa's head lolled and her eyes were rolled up inside her head. I

set her down gently. "Sweet dreams," I whispered, lying down to rest. Exhaustion washed over me and I

drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to see Tulisa sitting in the corner, her head buried in her wings. "Tulisa?" I

asked gently. "Leaf?" she said, looking up. "What's wrong?" I coaxed gently. "I'll never be able to go

home!" she sobbed, "I don't want to spend the rest of my life like this. I want to see my family, my

friends, and I want to go home!" I patted her wing, "It's okay, we'll get out of here." "No you won't," an

evil voice interrupted. I spun around, "Salem," I scowled. "You!" Tulisa snarled. "Enjoy your rest

sweetheart?" Salem said mockingly. Tulisa wiped away tears with her wings and lunged at Salem, talons

outstretched. The hawk dodged her attack smoothly, "Tut, tut, you're out of shape sweetheart." Not

discouraged, Tulisa attacked again, and again, and again. But Salem easily got out of the way. Panting in

exhaustion from her vigorous attacks, Tulisa lunged at Salem again, but this time, her grabbed her talons

and flung her down. Darting forward, I caught her in my wings before she could hit the ground. Salem

cackled, "You're lives are going to be _miserable_ , ahahahaha!" "Why are you doing this?" I demanded.

"Oh, I'll tell you why!" Salem's face hardened, "You're kind ruined my life. Oh, the peregrine falcons at

school, so noble and popular. I just wanted to be like them, but _nooooo!_ I wasn't a precious peregrine

falcon like them, so they bullied me; they beat me up every day! But I wasn't going to be like their other

victims, from then on, I sought revenge! So now I will make all peregrine falcons have miserable lives!"

"But we didn't do anything to you!" I protested, "So you're no better than them, hurting innocent

birds!" "Oh yes," Salem said slyly, "Sweetheart's father there was the peregrine falcon gang leader! I

couldn't find a way to get revenge on him, but torturing his daughter will have to do!" I set Tulisa down

gently.

Suddenly, the truck skidded to a stop. Salem grinned evilly, "We're here."


	11. Chapter 11

**ESCAPE!...or not**

Salem cackled and flew onto a pile of boxes, "Prepare for your doom falcons!" The hatch slid open and

the driver extended his arm, Salem flew over and landed on it. The man stroked Salem's head feathers

gently, "Salem," he said softly, "We did it, and we're meeting up with the crew now. I'm getting my

promotion. And with me as boss, you will be our new mascot, not the cockatoo my father Marcel

appointed. The cockatoo he owned then is probably dead anyway." "That's right Lucifer, then I will

better than all of the peregrine falcons combined!" Salem smiled. Lucifer turned, "Go get the men

Salem," he ordered. Salem took off from Lucifer's arm and flew into an old warehouse.

"We've got to get out of here," Tulisa said, "Now." "Huh," I huffed sarcastically, "Totally didn't know

that already." Tulisa glared at me, "This isn't the time to joke around!" "Sorry," I mumbled. Lucifer

entered the truck, "Hello birds," he said, "You're gonna make us the big bucks!" "I'm not making money

for anybody!" Tulisa shrieked, attacking Lucifer. Instead of panicking, Lucifer calmly took a net out of his

pocket and trapped Tulisa. He sighed, "One down." Then he exited the truck with the screaming Tulisa

and entered the warehouse. _You've got to be kidding me!_ "Hey! Let me out!" Tulisa screamed from the

warehouse. The sound of a cage door slamming echoed. _I could just escape now._ I bit my beak. I could

have my old life back, not have to worry about the humans anymore. But I couldn't just leave Tulisa

here. Deep down, I knew it was the right choice. _I'm going after Tulisa_.

Quietly, I flew over the half open wooden door and peeked in. My beak fell open in amazement and

horror. Hundreds of birds were locked in cages, ready to be sold for money. Lucifer threw Tulisa's cage

into the corner, "We ready to load the plane Tipa Junior?" A fat man glanced around, "Uh, sorry boss,

thee plane isn't, um, ready yet…" "WHAT?" Lucifer bellowed, "I told you to reserve that plane early!"

"Chill boy," an old man said, "It's alright, we reserved the plane, and we can board in two days." "Dad,"

Lucifer sighed, "REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?! Your flock of birds all escaped!" I sighed in

relief; I had two days at most to get Tulisa out, and the other trapped birds. "Spying?" a silky voice

asked. I jumped spun around, "Salem! More like you're spying on me!" He tackled me and pressed my

head to the ground. I coughed and tried to throw Salem off. "Hey!" a voice shouted, "Get off him!" I

flash of red swooped past and knocked Salem off. Sitting up, I saw a scarlet macaw battling with the

hawk. "Well don't just sit there!" the macaw shouted, "Help me!" Quickly, I jumped into the fight and

clawed Salem's wing. In a short amount of time, we had overpowered the hawk and Salem flew into the

warehouse, screeching. "Come on!" the scarlet macaw tugged my wing, "We don't have much time!"

"No!" I said, "I can't there's someone in there, I can't leave her. Thanks for saving me though, what's

your name?" "Ruby," the scarlet macaw said. "Well thanks Ruby, you can go, but I'm staying here." I

said. Ruby sighed wistfully, "Then I'm staying here," Ruby said, and then added, "I, er, have nothing else

to do, so I might as well help you." "There!" a man shouted. Salem was back, and with two men. "Hey!"

one of them shouted, "It's that scarlet macaw that escaped from us last week!" "Uh oh," Ruby said,

"Come on! Let's fly."

Salem flew after us. "Go get'em Salem!" a man hollered. Salem smiled, "Hello Ruby, dear. You were a

fool to come back here." "I hate you," Ruby said simply. "I let you go Ruby, you know. I saw you slip out

of the vent," Salem taunted, "But you weren't worth much, so I let you go." "Shut up!" I spat. Salem

glared at me, "But I'm not letting you go." He rammed into me, taking me by surprise. I almost fell out of

the air, but I steadied myself. "Come on Salem!" a man shouted from below. "Stupid men," Salem

grumbled. Ruby lunged at him, but he flung her aside with his powerful wings. "Ruby!" I shouted. The

scarlet macaw caught herself and shook her head, clearing her mind. Then she attacked Salem again.

This time, Salem wasn't expecting an attack from the back and she clawed his back. I joined in, pecking

his face, aiming for the eyes. "Hey!" a man shouted, "Two versus one is totally unfair!" Salem screeched

in rage and grabbed Ruby's talons in his and slammed her to the ground. She hit the ground with such

force, that she was knocked out. Without wasting a second, Salem grabbed my talons and swung me

upside down. "Let me down!" I screamed, but it was useless. The men grabbed Ruby, and Salem flew me

into the warehouse.

"Well hello," Lucifer smiled coldly, "If it isn't our escape artist, Ruby! Cage her up now, and put her away

from the vent this time." The men flung her unconscious body into a cage and stacked it up away from

the vent. Salem threw me down and screeched, "Here's another one." "Nice work Salem," Lucifer

praised. "Cage this one— wait, no, just throw him in with the other falcon. I'm not wasting cages." Tipa

Junior grabbed me roughly and thrust me into Tulisa's cage. "Well hello," Tulisa said, "Pleasure to see

you again."


	12. Chapter 12

**Help Has Arrived:**

 **Author's Note: Okay, I want to start a new story, and I have no idea what to write about. So I'm using a randomizer. I'll tell you what, um, movie the next story will be about in chapter 13! So without further ado, let's pick off:**

Tulisa groaned, "Now we're doomed, we're stuck in a cage, almost going to board to plane to who knows where!" "Hey," I said trying to be positive, "We might become human's, uh, what's it called? Pets, yes that's the word." "I don't want to be a _pet!_ " Tulisa spat, as if that was the worst thing in the world. "Better than being killed!" I returned. Tulisa sighed, "Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere." "You're right about that!" I said. "Eh!" an old parakeet shouted from the cage beside them, "Some birds are trying to sleep!" "Sorry," I grumbled, "For disturbing your _beauty rest._ " "Good night Tulisa," I said, "We should get some rest, it's been a stressful day." "You think?" Tulisa said, although she looked relived to be able to sleep. "Can I, er…lean against you?" Tulisa requested, "Only because it's cold," she added quickly. "Sure," I replied, trying to disguise my delight. Tulisa snuggled up against me, and I wrapped my wings around her. Looking outside the cage, I saw Ruby looking at us with a look of dismay and envy, she quickly turned away when she saw me looking at her. _Huh, I wonder what that was about._

I quickly forgot about it, and drifted off to a peaceful slumber. I woke to the sound of urgent tapping on metal. A spix macaw was tapping on my cage, "Wake up! Are you Leaf?" "Yes," I whispered. "Boys," the spix macaw called, "I found him." "How do you know my name?" I demanded. "This spix macaw in the Amazon named Blu was asking everybody to help him find a peregrine falcon with the name Leaf. He promised a reward if you were found, and my friends and I knew about this place so we came straight away!" the spix macaw explained. _Blu!_ A gang of five spix macaws emerged from the darkness, followed by two scarlet macaws. The first spix macaw began picking at the lock when something moved in the darkness. "Look out!" I hissed. A scarlet macaw screeched, as Salem threw her to the ground. "What are you all doing here?" Salem asked smoothly. "None of your business!" the lead spix macaw shouted, "Boys, get'em! Except for Rodger, you can keep picking that lock." Rodger began to scratch at the lock faster and with more urgency. Tulisa was wide awake now; the screech of the scarlet macaw had woke her up, along with many other birds. The gang could easily overpower the hawk and one of the burlier ones pinned him down. "I demand you to release me!" Salem shouted. "Not happening sir," the spix macaw holding him down laughed. "There!" Rodger cried, swing open the cage door. "No!" Salem screeched, "Not that cage! Any cage but that cage!" Rodger waved his wing, "Go! Hurry, before the humans come!" Without wasting a moment, Tulisa and I flew out of the cage. The rest of the birds were causing a clamor, "Hey, let me out!" the old parakeet screeched. "No!" a scarlet macaw shouted, "Help me!" The rest of the birds began arguing over who should be rescued first. "Shut up!" the lead macaw roared, "If you are too loud, the humans will come and none of you will escape!" The birds immediately quieted down. "Everybody," the spix macaw commanded, "Get to work." "I don't know how to unlock cages," Tulisa fretted. "Then just go for the ones with a sliding metal thing," I said, "Slide the metal rod out of the metal hole and the door is unlocked." Tulisa nodded, "Got it."

Soon, all the imprisoned birds were free. "NOOOOOO!" Salem roared, throwing off the spix macaw, "Come! Come! The birds are escaping!" Salem screeched, trying to make as much noise as possible. The burly spix macaw tackled Salem down and muffled his screams with a wing, but it was too late. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?" Lucifer bellowed, "Men! Get the birds!"

All birds exploded into panic. "RUN!" "It's the end!" "HELP!" "AHHH! He's got my WING, HELP MEEEEE!" "TULISA!" I bellowed, "TULISA, WHERE ARE YOU?" "Leaf!" Ruby called in relief, "C'mon, we've got to get out of here!" "But Tulisa!" I protested. Ruby's expression hardened, "Maybe Tulisa's already out—" "LEAF!" a familiar voice screamed, "HELP ME!" "Tulisa!" I cried, "I'm coming!" "Leaf!" Ruby groaned, flying after me. Salem was clutching her talons, swinging her upside down, "They might get away sweetheart, but you aren't!" he snarled. "Leaf!" Tulisa cried in relief. I charged at Salem furiously, but something grabbed me. It was Rodger. "What are you doing?" I shouted, fighting his grip. "I'm sorry Leaf," Rodger said, flying backwards, "But you're the only reason we came, we can't let the humans capture you!" As Rodger dragged me away, I could only watch helplessly as Salem thrust Tulisa into a cage and locked it. "No!" I cried, "Tulisa!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Back to Hell**

 **Author's Note: Okay, so if you didn't read the author's note on chapter 12 then you probably won't get this. I got MY LITTLE PONY! So, I have no idea what it's about, so I'm just gonna watch a few episodes. I'll tell you what the story will be called in the next chapter. So without further ado, let's get started:**

"LET ME GO!" I bellowed at Rodger. "I'm sorry Leaf, but no can do," Rodger said sincerely, "She's just a bird." "Just a bird?" I roared in anger. "No, no, no…of course not," Rodger corrected quickly. "She's _my_ girl!" I explained, "Don't you have someone you love, and you'd do anything to save them?" Rodger bit his beak, "Yes, I understand. I know that feeling," Rodger said with a quick glance at Ruby. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Rodger said dreamily. "Um, yeah," I said hesitantly. Rodger glanced around and thought for a while, "I'm going to let you go," he whispered, "Please don't tell them." "I won't," I promised, "Thank you Rodger, I'll return the favor one day." Quietly, Rodger released me and I darted off silently.

 _Thank you Rodger!_ I flew off in the morning dawn until the warehouse appeared. Lucifer was pacing around muttering, "How did they all escape? Impossible." Compared the hundreds of birds packed in cages last night, todays looked puny. Only twenty or thirty birds remained. Salem was standing in front of Tulisa's cage, mocking her. "Where's your precious boyfriend?" he laughed. "Somewhere far away where you can't get to him!" Tulisa shouted defiantly. "Oh, not for long," Salem chuckled. Tulisa's eyes widened, "What do you mean, what are you going to do to him?" "Nothing," Salem said, "If I know him, he'll come back for you, and then I'll get him." "No…" Tulisa whimpered. "Yes," Salem cackled, "And if he doesn't then you'll know he really doesn't love you!" Salem flew off, laughing manically. Tulisa buried her head in her wings, "It's all my fault." Quietly, I slipped into the building. I tapped on Tulisa's cage lightly, "Tulisa." "Leaf!" she said, rushing up to the bars, "You've got to leave! Salem's here!" "I know," I replied, "I'll just unlock you and—" Something heavy fell on my back and I cried out in alarm. I rolled over violently, throwing off my attacker. Salem landed neatly on his feet, "You've gotten better. But not good enough." He shoved me down forcefully and I plucked his tail feathers with my talons. "Ow!" Salem screeched, releasing me. But my victory was short-lived. Something grabbed my talons, pinching them down forcefully. Lucifer shoved his face close to mine, "And what do we have here?" Furiously, I nipped his nose with my beak. Lucifer cried out in pain and thrust me into the cage next to Tulisa's cage. "Stupid bird," he growled, "Nice work Salem." Salem flashed me a devious look, "Bye suckers! Now you'll never get away, we're boarding the plane in few hours, and I would spend this time saying goodbye to each other!" he flew away with a manic laugh. Tulisa looked at me, "I'm sorry it had to go this way Leaf, I really wanted to get to know you." I sighed wistfully at the life we could have had, "It's not your fault."

The next few hours passed like a blur. Soon, the men had hauled our cages into a truck, going to the airport. I didn't say a word the whole ride there. I just leaned against my cage, and Tulisa leaned against hers. We were trying to get as close as possible to each other. "Good work boys," Lucifer said, "We would have made hundreds of dollars more if those birds didn't escape." He scowled, "Next time, they won't be as lucky." Lucifer piled my cage on top of Tulisa's. Then he loaded the rest of the birds and closed the hatch. He and his men went up to the front, chuckling and congratulating themselves. The back of the airplane was small; all the cages were cramped together. Mold and fungi were covering the walls and cobwebs were everywhere. I squished a spider under my talon half-heartedly.

About half an hour later, there was a loud roar, and the airplane began to move forward. All the birds around began to panic. One dramatic macaw said, "Tell Richard, I send my love." Then she fainted. I scarlet macaw paced around in her cage muttering, "What to do, what to do?" A parakeet clutched the bars of his cage with his wings, "We're doomed!" he screeched. Suddenly, the door connecting the control area and the back storage area swung open and Salem stepped in dramatically. "Hello," he said mockingly, "Thank you for flying with Bird Torture Airlines. Please enjoy your flight." All the birds shrank back in fear. Salem cackled, walking slowly down the aisle. He thrust his head close to a tiny canary, "Hello madam, enjoying your flight?" he sneered. "Uh…ye—s si-rr" the canary trembled. "Hey!" Tulisa shouted, "Knock it off!" "Oh," Salem scowled, "Hello dear, would you like a delectable spider madam?" he held up a tiny black spider in his talon. Tulisa smacked the poor spider out of his claws with an outstretched leg, "No thank you," she snarled. "Tut, tut, bad temper," Salem said, "Enjoy your flight," he added evilly and left.

Taking the opportunity, I quickly unlocked my cage. I silently thanked Blu for teaching me how to unlock cages. I stepped out as quietly as possible. All the other birds had the sense to keep quiet as I unlocked their cages one by one. I fluttered down to Tulisa's cage and tugged at the lock. Nothing. Then I picked at the lock, but still nothing happened. "No Leaf," Tulisa said, "Just leave me, get the others out." "Never!" I protested, "We're in this together." Tulisa smiled warmly, "I love you Leaf."

I put my head close to hers, "I love you too." I flew up to the lever that opened the hatch and pulled on it with all my strength. The lever didn't budge. "Help me!" I called. The silent birds jumped as if just woken from a dream. Then a scarlet macaw flew over, and the rest recovered and flew to the lever. With the combined strength of the birds, the lever flicked down and the hatch slowly began to open. "Yes!" "Freedom!" "Richard, I'm coming for you!" The birds all cried enthusiastically. A beeping noise came from the front and Lucifer barged in, Salem on his shoulder, "WHAT THE HELL?!" he bellowed, "TIPA JUNIOR, COLIN, FRED, GET BACK HERE NOW! THE BIRDS ARE ESCAPING!" Salem soared down from his shoulder and pinned down a canary. "Help me!" she squealed. "Get off her!" I shouted, tackling Salem off. "Oh thank you!" the canary said, "Thank you!" "No problem," I replied dodging Salem's attack, "Just get out of here!" "Leaf!" Tulisa shouted, "I think the plane's going down!" "The plane's going down!" Lucifer shouted trying to grab a bird, "Is NO ONE AT THE CONTROLS?!" The men gulped, and Tipa Junior raced to the front. Salem had flown off to attack another bird, and I raced to Tulisa's cage.

"I can't unlock it!" I shouted, picking the lock urgently. "I can't pull the lever up!" Tipa screamed, "It's jammed!" Lucifer's eyes bulged, "GO HELP HIM!" The rest of the crew didn't waste a second; they all darted into the control room. Lucifer grabbed a scarlet macaw and thrust him into a cage furiously, before reaching for a spix macaw. The men at the controls were groaning, tugging at a lever with all their strength, "Boss! It's jammed, ABANDON PLANE!" Tipa Junior shouted. Lucifer roared in frustration and fury, "Get the parachutes! NOW!" Tipa Junior threw Lucifer a parachute before putting on his own. Lucifer raced to the hatch opening, where all the exuberant birds were escaping. Lucifer raked his cold eyes over the birds flying away, "THIS ISN'T OVER!" he bellowed before jumping off the edge. I was desperately picking at Tulisa's lock, "OPEN YOU DAMN THING!" I shouted. "It won't," Salem smiled coyly. "What do you mean?" "The only way to unlock it is with the key," Salem smiled evilly, holing up a shiny key, "And I've got it." I tackled him in pure fury, "GIVE ME THE KEY!" I roared. Salem smiled sinisterly and threw the key off the edge.


	14. Chapter 14

"NO!" I screamed, rushing to the edge. Salem flew by with a mocking salute. "Sayonara suckers!" he laughed. There was no time for Salem. The plane was going down. _The falcon's dive…the falcon's dive!_ Without hesitating and thinking about my actions, I jumped. The wind rushed through my feathers, ruffling them. My instinct screamed at me to fly, spread my wings and fly away. _No!_ The sun glinted off something shiny falling towards the water. I tucked in my wings and plunged down. "AAAHHHH!" I screamed. I had never moved so fast in my entire life, but then again, peregrine falcons were born to do this. It was in our DNA, our blood. A vague memory flashed in my head. My father, diving from up high on an unsuspecting mouse. At the last moment, he reached out his talons and snatched up the mouse.

I had to do the same thing, but with a key. I was gaining on the falling key. The key plummeted through the clouds and I zoomed after it. The key was falling fast, towards the sea. I couldn't let it fall into the water. Above my head, the plane, Tulisa, were falling down too. Adrenaline rushed through me as I picked up speed. I was gaining on the key, it was right below me! I took a deep breath and stretched out my talons, slowing my dive. There could be no mistakes, or I would never see Tulisa again. My talons snatched up the key. Victory! But there was no time to marvel over my success. I flew back up as fast as I could, searching desperately for the crashing plane. It was nowhere to be seen.

Fear coursed through me. Could the plane already have crashed? I told myself not to give up hope. Then I saw it, the plane, falling unsteadily through the air. Approaching the clouds. Quickly, I flew through the open back and to the storage area. Tulisa was in there, trembling and weeping. "Tulisa!" I shouted, rushing to her cage and shoving in the key. "Leaf!" she cried in relief as I turned the key and swung open the door. I helped her out and we flew out the hatch swiftly. We flew onto a cliff overlooking the sea. The plane crashed into the ocean. Ocean spray flew everywhere, as the plane slowly sunk into the deep sea. She hugged me tightly, tears of joy falling from her eyes, "I thought you left me!" she cried. I patted her wing, "I would never leave you." Then Tulisa did something I never expected her to do. She kissed me. Right on the beak. I smiled and kissed her back.

It took a while, but I finally found my way back home, just as the sun was setting. The sun sank below the horizon, orange, red, and pink radiated from the glowing yellow semicircle. I smiled, "The sunset's beautiful," I remarked, "But nothing compared to you." Tulisa blushed red as the sunset, "Oh Leaf!" she giggled, "I love you too." "Leaf?" Jewel's voice came from the tree hollow, home. Jewel's eyes glowed, "Leaf! It's you! Blu, kids, Leaf's come back!" "Leaf?" Blu's head poked out, "Leaf!" Tiago danced out, followed by an excited Carla and Bia. "I knew he'd come back!" Tiago said, "I called it!" Carla bounced around, "You're back!" "Who's this?" Jewel demanded, pointing at Tulisa. "That's my, er, Tulisa, she's my…" I started. But Tulisa finished my sentence, "Girlfriend." "Oh, that's wonderful!" Jewel exclaimed, "She's a beautiful bird Leaf, take care of her. And congratulations!" "Group hug!" Bia shouted. Jewel smiled, and we all huddled up together. At first, Tulisa hung back, unsure if it was her place to interfere. I waved my wing, "Join us!" Tulisa grinned and joined in the hug. We stayed there for a long time. Together, strong, united, and a family.

Author's Note: Okay, this is the last chapter of this story. The support has been great, and I'll consider writing a sequel. I'm also considering making another account with my friend, if we create it, the username will probably be "The Dawn of Dreams." Peace guys! Also my next story will be called, "The Two Sisters."


	15. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

**Hey guys! I know I haven't been writing many Rio stories lately! But I'm just so busy, and I have so many stories I want to get to!**

 **I'm planning to write a sequel to the Race Across Rio, but I'm not really sure. Can you leave a review telling me whether I should or not?**

 **Thanks a whole lot!**

 **Leaf**


	16. SEQUEL IS OUT!

I've released the sequel! It's called Anything For Love! Check it out!

OCs are needed so either private message me or leave a review!

Leaf


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